A Beginner’s Guide to Revenge, Chaos, and Other Absurd Escapades, Demonic Disasters and Afterlife Adventures #3 by Shannon Mae

A Beginner’s Guide to Revenge, Chaos, and Other Absurd Escapades is the third in a series, continuing the arc of the previous books.

From the blurb:

Arioch:

Arioch loves his job; creating chaos and encouraging revenge is fun, and if he pranks a few demons, angels, and humans along the way, all the better. When an archangel shows up with a message from

god, Arioch knows he ought to take it seriously, but what’s the fun in that? Michael, the human he’s supposed to help, takes everything seriously enough for both of them, and Arioch is determined to teach the guy how to have a little fun with life. If he starts to fall for the human along the way, well, another human-demon pairing can only cause more chaos, which is definitely Ari’s specialty. Now he just has to convince Michael that although the two of them are polar opposites, they actually work perfectly together.

Michael:

Michael has been the dependable, practical older brother his entire life; he took the weight of the world on his shoulders when he was too young to realize how heavy the burden would be. If he can guarantee happiness for his siblings, that will be enough for him, even if all he can see in his own future is loneliness. However, when Michael realizes that someone from the afterlife lied to him and attempted to cause his family harm, he is determined to do something about it. With the help of a certain demon, maybe he can figure out who targeted his family and get a little revenge. He’ll just have to refrain from killing the demon that is messing up his perfectly ordered existence. When the cheerful prankster actually starts looking attractive to Michael, maybe he’ll finally step out of his comfort zone and find out how fun chaos can actually be.

Tags: Michael is serious about revenge, and Arioch isn’t serious about anything; opposites attract; maybe being impractical for once in his life won’t kill Michael (and if it does, at least he’ll have a demon to keep him company in the afterlife); meddling families are annoying; Michael has never done that before, but Arioch would be happy to show him how it all works.

Sheena's Review:

A Beginner’s Guide to Revenge, Chaos, and Other Absurd Escapades is the third in a series, and I've enjoyed them all so far. This is Michael's story, and it's closely connected with its predecessor in the series, so really is best read as part of that series. Michael has been led all his life by a lie, and wants revenge, which is easier when you're a nephilim, and your grandmother is Lilith and knows how to summon a demon to help with said revenge. Michael doesn't bank on getting an infernal King of Hell when he makes the summon though, and even more the connection he makes with said king of hell.

Said King of Hell being Arioch, who is also a chaos demon who revels in anything disordered, chaotic and, above all, FUN. The total opposite to Michael, who all his life has been ordered, structured and buttoned up. I loved Ari and Michael. This is a total opposites attract scenario with added afterlife connections, and I was here for it. It furthers the ongoing story in the series and does it with tons of fun, heat, and a wonderful supporting cast of characters. Can't wait for the next.

Rating: 4 Stars

Jacqueleen the Reading Queen's Review:

"𝙇𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙟𝙤𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙨."

This series is just so cute and fun! Exactly what I needed after 2 angsty books in a row. Ari and Michael were absolutely perfect for one another. I mean, talk about balancing each other out. Yin and Yang. You know what I mean.

If you've been reading the series, then you are well aware that Michael is kind of a fuddy-duddy, for lack of a better term. He enjoys control and has a plan for everything. So imagine my surprise when it's the Infernal Demon King of Chaos and Revenge that just so happens to be his soulmate. I wondered how their dynamic would play out and after reading it makes so much sense. I was telling the truth when I said they were absolutely perfect for one another.

"𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙙𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢."

Michael needed to learn to let loose a bit, and Ari was just the demon for the job. He was the one man who could get Michael's brain to shut off and just relax. Michael felt safe to let go in Ari's capable hands. On the flip side, Ari tended to get a bit carried away with the chaos portion of his job. Being with Michael gave him something to focus on and, in turn, brought his chaos down a much needed notch. Balance, my friends, balance.

I am so happy that the next one to find love is going to be Kushiel. The angel has popped up a bit in the past two books and I really want to see him get his happy ending. I also love who his soulmate is. I have a feeling Kushiel isn't going to know what hit him. And luckily for us, we get a novella before then too! I know I can't be alone in wanting to know more about a certain Mr. Frog. Can't wait!

Rating: 5 Stars

A Beginner’s Guide to Revenge, Chaos, and Other Absurd Escapades is available to buy as an ebook, paperback, or to read with Kindle Unlimited subscription.